Combines the refined ambience of an art museum, the intellectual stimulation of a contemporary art center, the functionality of a library, the utility of a university and the convenience of a mall into one “Superchapel of Creativity,” one Creative Class “HUB.”

• Other “HUB” assets include a MLK Wing (to make accommodations for various ethnic galleries), the “Great Hall” Lecture Pavilion (run by a university cooperative comprised of participating local colleges) and an indoor/outdoor concert venue for local musicians, if desired.

The aggregate result of the “HUB” design synthesis is a win-win innovation in institutional dynamics that requires a mixed-use cooperative business model between government, semi-private and semi-public organizations.

Reasons for this recalibration involve emergent factors in evolutionary dynamics, non-zero-sum game theory and the reconstitution of the Commons.

Thesis Statement: The new organizational model created by a synthetic integration of the Columbus Museum of Art, OSU Wexner Center for the Arts and Columbus Metropolitan Library into one “HUB” facility represents a new Integral paradigm in institutional aesthetics.

Definition of terms, ideas and applied contexts (words identified by underlines)… Thesis/Thesis Statement: According to Wikipedia… “A thesis statement, in essays, is a line which clarifies the main argument for the rest of the essay. The thesis statement is usually found at the end of the first paragraph of an essay or similar document and summarizes the main point and perspective of the writer. The main function of a thesis statement is to introduce the reader to the purpose of the document and outline the major topics that will be covered to achieve that purpose”; whereas a “thesis is an intellectual proposition.”

• The thesis to support the development of the “HUB” Stadium smART Complex represents a complexity theory; the complexity theory in turn symbolizes as a philosophy; with the philosophy in turn being self-defined as an emergent phenomenon within the context of control theory. Combined, the “HUB” proposal establishes a biomatrix systems theory upon which to build a new “Renaissance Revival” cultural paradigm for Columbus, Ohio.

Proposition: According to Wikipedia… “In philosophy and logic, the term proposition refers to either (a) the ‘content’ or ‘meaning’ of a meaningful declarative sentence or (b) the pattern of symbols, marks, or sounds that make up a meaningful declarative sentence. The meaning of a proposition includes having the quality or property of being either true or false, and as such propositions are claimed to be truthbearers.”

• The various propositions of truth being discussed in this thesis are whether or not the aggregate benefits of the “HUB” Stadium smART Complex would be a significant enough improvement to the cultural image of the city to brand it nationally as a Creative Class hub; whether or not the aggregate benefits of the “HUB” Stadium smART Complex would dramatically increase the cultural value of those participating institutions whose individual benefits are currently limited by their isolation from one another, their segregation a reflection of a Reductionism development model; whether or not the “HUB” aggregate model represents a new evolutionary institutional paradigm; whether or not there is a present or future cultural need or demand fulfilled by the creation of a “HUB” Stadium smART Complex; whether or not the negation of the “HUB” will have a negative affect on the cultural reputation of Columbus as a Creative Class hub; and whether or not the “HUB” development represents a Commons-based tipping point phenomenon.

Philosophies: According to Wikipedia… “Philosophies: particular schools of thought, styles of philosophy, or descriptions of philosophical ideas attributed to a particular group or culture.”

• The “HUB” concept museum is a home-grown idea, a Columbus original. It is an innovation towards a new cultural development model that ranks right up there with other Columbus-based aggregate development milestones, including the first strip mall (Town and Country), the first grocery store (Big Bear) and the first department store (Lazarus). The “HUB” concept museum merely applies the governing dynamic principle that has become one of the standard business models and incorporates it into a cooperative institutional model. “The “HUB” thus represents a continuation of a cultural legacy and is part and parcel of an overarching Columbus-based philosophy.

Commons: According to Wikipedia… “Commons refers to the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable earth. These resources are held in common, not owned privately. The resources held in common can include everything from natural resources and common land to software. The commons contains public property and private property, over which people have certain traditional rights. When commonly held property is transformed into private property this process alternatively is termed ‘enclosure’ or more commonly, ‘privatization.’ A person who has a right in, or over, common land jointly with another or others is called a commoner.” (Italics mine).

• Given that each of the three major cultural institutions synthesized within the “HUB” design share a similar mission to serve the public and promote the public welfare through art and education-based cultural activities, and given that the Columbus Museum of Art, OSU’s Wexner Center for the Arts and Columbus Downtown Metropolitan Library are as cultural icons symbols of the community in general, the view that these institutions are integral components of the cultural commons is an undeniable fact. These institutions represent Columbus’ cultural Establishment; the Establishment represents the face of the People (i.e., the commoner or so-called “everyman”). To the extent that the identity of the commoner is dependent upon these major cultural institutions for its cultural identity, we can establish with absolute logical certainty that these institutions belong to the commons.

• Being representations of the commons, these institutions are required to be responsive to the needs of the commoners; and likewise, as commoners, we have an obligation to take collective responsibility over the stewardship of the commons. For this reason, if a better institutional model can be developed that better serves the needs of the commoner on a holistic or collective basis, then it is the implicit right of the commoner to affect commons-based change. The evaluative basis for judging the merits of any commons-based improvement will be the aggregate benefits derived from its implementation and the resultant increased utility of the commons by the commoners, the increased utility thus constituting a fundamental expansion of the commons in practical terms; which in this case means either (a) more people visiting the “HUB” than the sum of the people currently visiting the Columbus Museum of Art, Wexner Center for the Arts and Columbus Metropolitan Library combined, or (b) the same number of people experience the benefits of what the “HUB” has to offer as the sum of the people visiting the Columbus Museum of Art, Wexner Center for the Arts and Columbus Metropolitan Library, but because each visitor has the potential to experience the synthesized benefits of each in combination at the “HUB,” the benefit each “HUB” visitor experiences in threefold what could have been achieved by a visit to either of the segregated institutions in isolation.

Aggregate: According to Wikipedia… “An aggregate is a collection of items that are gathered together to form a total quantity.”

• The bringing together of the Columbus Museum of Art, OSU Wexner Center for the Arts and Columbus Metropolitan Library into one “HUB” smART Complex is a design aggregate that creates a corollary set of aggregate benefits. These aggregate benefits in turn represent a gestalt.

Gestalt: According to Wikipedia… “Gestalt psychology or gestaltism (German: Gestalt – ‘essence or shape of an entity’s complete form’) is a theory of mind and brain of the Berlin School; the operational principle of gestalt psychology is that the brain is holistic, parallel, and analog, with self-organizing tendencies. The principle maintains that… the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” (Italics mine).

• The self-organizing principle behind the “HUB” is the analog and parallel characteristics found in the cultural arts institutions involved. In other words, because the arts and humanities is the shared trait found in each of the “HUB’s” participating organizations, that common thread becomes the basis by which to bind them together into a cooperative business alignment. The unity thus created is holistic in nature, while the evolution of its synthetic integration establishes the model for a new design paradigm.

• A similar concept to the gestalt idea that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” is the win-win principle of non-zero-sum game found in Game Theory.

Game Theory: According to Wikipedia… “game theory is a study of strategic decision making. More formally, it is ‘the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational decision-makers.’”

• Unfortunately, the point at which “rational decision-makers” is required is where the “HUB” strategy breaks down. Luckily, because the “HUB” is a commons development issue, if enough commoners get involved – become self-organized – a critical mass of support can grow to fill the leadership void. At which point the commoners become the managing decision-makers in the development of the commons. Such a movement would have historic repercussions. It would also attract the attention of the nation and give the city the opportunity it needs to stake its claim as an emergent Creative Class hub.